I didn't want you to call me weak
by AikaRikaru
Summary: A Shounen-Ai story about Orochimaru and Sasuke. It is told in Sasuke's POV, and it is about him dealing with his ever growing feelings of affection for his serpentine master.
1. Prologue

I don't know when I began having these thoughts, or why I even started thinking them in the first place; but all I know is that I can't stop. Orochimaru is constantly on my mind. I often catch myself staring into his irresistibly golden eyes; even with the knowledge that the action causes chills to run down my spine. I know he's caught me staring longer than I should, but I can't help myself. His response to my staring is always the same: "What is it child?". And it's always that question that brings me back to reality. I tell him it's nothing, and he laughs softly in reply. Just the sound of his voice is enough to make me feel light-headed. And the way he says my name makes my heart beat so fast I feel as if it might burst forth from my chest at any moment. But I only receive part of his attention... Kabuto is almost always by his side. The only time I'm ever alone with Orochimaru is during our training. It's only a few hours a day, but I savor every second of it. I desperately want to tell Orochimaru how he makes me feel, but it's nearly impossible with Kabuto around. I'm not even sure Orochimaru would accept my feelings, much less return them. I'm also afraid if I do tell Orochimaru how I feel, he will call me weak. I do not want people to think I'm weak, and I most certainly do not want the man I admire most to think that.


	2. Snake Eyes

I awoke early in the morning like I always do, however; today I decided I just didn't feel like getting out of bed. I yawned softly as I rolled over to lie on my back. All I did for twenty minutes was stare at the ceiling, thinking of what I always think about: Orochimaru. I thought about his eyes and how they light up when he looks at me. I thought about his voice and how it sounds when he says my name. It was then that I decided I didn't feel like dealing with him today... Or rather, to be more precise; I wasn't sure I _could_ deal with him today. Sometimes it's just too painful for me to be around him. I sighed before slowly rolling over onto my right side and pulling the blanket over my head. I gently nuzzled into my pillow and allowed myself to fall back asleep.

I awoke several hours later when I heard an annoying knocking sound on my door. I sighed quietly to myself and kept quiet; hoping whoever was knocking would just give up and go away. Again I heard knocking, but I continued to stay silent. Once more I heard knocking, followed by a heavy sigh. I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Kabuto. I heard whoever was on the other side of the door start to walk down the hallway. I waited in silence and listened to see if anyone would return. After twenty minutes of silence, I decided it was safe to go back to sleep. I closed my eyes and nuzzled into my pillow again, drifting off to sleep almost instantly.

* * *

><p>I was startled awake suddenly by a soft and soothing voice. I opened my eyes instantly and activated my Sharingan. It took me a moment to realize it was only Orochimaru and not an unknown intruder.<p>

He looked down at me with concern in his eyes. "Are you alright child?"

I slowly deactivated my Sharingan as the slight panic feeling I had ceased. All I could do in that moment was stare blankly up at Orochimaru and blink my eyes. I was so drowsy from sleeping all afternoon and being woken up suddenly that I was finding it hard to focus.

"Sasuke?" His voice was soft and full of concern.

"What?" I asked simply.

He sighed and shook his head. "I asked if you were alright."

I nodded my head slowly, all the while keeping direct eye contact with him. "I don't understand why you would think something was wrong with me when I was only sleeping."

Orochimaru raised a brow at my statement. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" He sighed as I shook my head in response. "It's 3:00 pm, child. You didn't show up for your training session, and I was beginning to think something might have happened to you. I even sent Kabuto to come see if you were alright earlier, but he said you didn't answer the door." He tilted his head suddenly, and I could tell he was awaiting an explanation.

I didn't know what to tell him. I wasn't sure whether to lie, or to tell him the truth. So I decided to play it safe with a neutral response. "I don't owe you an explanation."

He chuckled softly. "Oh, but, Sasuke... You most certainly do. Just who do you think has taken care of you and trained you for the past three years?" He was dangerously close to my face, his golden eyes glaring right into my own onyx ones.

I was feeling rather conflicted as to what I should do in that moment. I decided to return the glare, after all; _he _woke _me_ up, not the other way around. "I think I've more than repaid you for the training Orochimaru." I watched as his glare became colder.

He hissed at my words. "Oh do you? And what exactly have you done to repay me, my dear Sasuke?"

"I've gone on so many pointless errands for you over the years I've lost count." I internally sighed at the fact that I was briefly distracted by his eyes before I was able to continue speaking. "I don't recall a single time where I complained about going on those errands for you, even when I found them a complete and utter waste of my time and effort."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Even so, it's not like you to skip your training." His eyes suddenly gleamed mischievously. "If you make a habit of it, you will never become truly powerful. You will never be able to obtain your precious revenge. And we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"

At first I felt angry by his words, angry that he even dared to speak of such things to me. But when I saw the playful, teasing look in his eyes; I felt my fears becoming reality. Orochimaru was insinuating that I was weak, that I would never be strong enough to kill Itachi. All I could think about was whether or not Orochimaru really thought I was weak. In that moment I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just trying to get a rise out of me. So I all did was stare into his eyes; hoping they could tell me just what he truly thought of me.

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly and looked at me questioningly. "You seem to be rather fascinated by my eyes lately."

I blinked a few times and then glared at him. "Where else am I supposed to look right now when they're just inches from my face?"

He laughed softly but showed no sign that he was going to move. "I will leave once you tell me why you had the sudden desire to sleep your entire day away."

I sighed. "Are you unaware of the concept of a person feeling tired?" I didn't even try to hide the irritation in my voice that time. I really did want to go back to sleep and be left in peace. Or as much peace as one can be in my situation...

Orochimaru sighed and shook his head as he stood up. "Fine, stay here and sleep for the rest of the day. However, you are to meet me in the training room bright and early tomorrow morning. We will be training for six hours rather than our usual three. Understood?" He didn't even bother waiting for me to reply as he left my room.

I sighed again as I listened to him getting farther and farther away. _"Oh great, I just guaranteed myself a whole six hours with Orochimaru; where I'll have to act like my usual cold and arrogant self... On the bright side; I get to spend a whole six hours with Orochimaru; where I'll get multiple chances to gaze hopelessly into his eyes and hear him speak my name over and over again... Even if it is just to scold me."_

I laughed pitifully at my own foolish thoughts as I ran my fingers through my hair. I thought about getting up and eating something, but I really didn't think I'd die after one day of not eating, so I just continued to think about Orochimaru. _"My life would be so much easier if I could just get that stupid, cold-blooded, sadistic, beautiful..." _I sighed when I realized I was no longer insulting him. As hard as I tried, I couldn't go back to sleep. I was wide awake now because I couldn't stop thinking about how close he had gotten to me. I let out a frustrated sigh as I got out of bed. After ten minutes of pacing around my room, I decided to take a shower.

I instantly felt better the moment the hot water hit my skin. For twenty minutes all I did was stand there under the running water. For the first time in months I was able to completely clear my mind of all thoughts. I just focused on the way the water felt on my skin, and how warm it was. I turned off the water after a few more minutes and stepped out of the shower to get dressed. I put on my usual sound village attire and brushed my teeth. Against my better judgment, I decided to go find the source of my frustration. I silently left my bedroom and made my way to Orochimaru's study. I had a feeling he would be there at this time of day, and I was praying that Kabuto wasn't with him.

It took me about ten minutes to reach Orochimaru's study. I was about to knock when I realized that would have been highly out of character for me, so I just walked in. It seemed I was in luck; Orochimaru was indeed in his study, and there was no sign of Kabuto whatsoever. I closed the door behind me, and waited for him to notice me. He didn't even bother looking up from the various scrolls he was reading.

He sighed. "I told you a thousand times, I will eat when I'm hungry." He continued looking over his scrolls. "But since you're here, I could use some assistance." It was obvious that Orochimaru thought I was Kabuto.

"I don't know how much help I'll be." I replied in a casual tone.

Orochimaru looked up from his desk and turned around to face me. "Oh, Sasuke it's you. I thought you were Kabuto."

"I kind of got that." I took a few brave steps closer to him as I spoke.

He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm rather busy child, so make it quick."

I had to force myself to stop while there was still a few feet in between us. It took all of my strength not to embrace him. I tried so hard to look anywhere but his eyes in that moment. But try as I might, I just couldn't help myself from staring into them once again. "To be honest I'm not sure why I'm here, but I suppose I could try helping you if you need me to."

He blinked a few times as his expression softened. "Hmm, tired of sleeping are we? Well no matter, I appreciate the..." He paused mid-sentence and looked at me questioningly. "Would you like to explain as to why you're constantly staring into my eyes, Sasuke? The first few times I thought I was imagining things, but now it seems to have become a habit of yours."

I felt my heart skip a beat, I wasn't sure how to answer that. For some reason I couldn't move, I just froze. This moment felt all too familiar; it reminded me of the first time I met Orochimaru in the Forest of Death during the Chunin exams. When all I could do was stand there scared out of my mind and tremble in fear as he came at me with the snake he had summoned. He continued to stare at me, patiently waiting for my answer, but I still couldn't speak. In fact, it suddenly felt like I wasn't getting enough air in my lungs. I wanted so badly to just tell him the truth about how I feel; but I was still too scared of what his response would be, so I kept silent.

Orochimaru leaned in close to my face and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Sasuke, your face is turning blue, why aren't you breathing?"

I exhaled the breath that I hadn't realized I was holding, and then inhaled deeply. I shook my head slowly, and tried to speak, but I couldn't. He was too close and he had his hands on my shoulders. _"I really need to get a hold of myself... I'm supposed to be a heartless ninja set on a quest for revenge. And here I am, speechless and light-headed all because of one man." _I was lost in my own thoughts as I stared blankly at Orochimaru.

He knit his brows together in concern before placing his right hand against my forehead. "I think it would be wise if you returned to bed, you seem to be ill, which means we should probably skip training tomorrow."

That immediately snapped me out of my thoughts. "No." I shook my head. "I'm not skipping my training tomorrow, I'm fine." Honestly I didn't feel fine, but I didn't want _him_ to know that. Besides, it's not like I was actually ill, I was just about to die of a heart attack...

He sighed and stepped away from me. "Your stubbornness is going to kill you one of these days." He crossed his arms over his chest again. "Fine, we'll train tomorrow as planned. Now, off to bed before I change my mind."

Wordlessly, I turned around and left his study. I walked through the seemingly endless hallways until I reached my bedroom. I walked over to my bed and collapsed onto it. A sigh escaped my lips as I thought of how pathetic I had acted in front of Orochimaru. I had only been in his presence for a few minutes, and yet I almost suffocated myself. I closed my eyes and sighed again. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day...


	3. Gentle Words

It was now morning and nearly time for me to meet with Orochimaru in the training room. I groaned in frustration. I didn't get anymore sleep after I had returned to my room yesterday afternoon. All I did was lay there and think of Orochimaru for hours and hours until it was time for me to get ready for training. I showered and dressed quickly before sheathing my sword and placing it in it's usual place in the back of my rope belt. I slowly made my way to the training room and noticed Orochimaru wasn't there yet. I sat down on the ground with my legs crossed and placed my hands on my knees. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. I was finally able to clear my mind and begin my pre-training meditation.

"_Sasuke." I thought I heard someone say my name and then begin to shake my shoulders gently. I brushed it off and continued my meditation._

"Sasuke!"

I was suddenly startled awake and opened my eyes wide. I saw Orochimaru in front of me with an impatient look on his face. "...Huh?" I blinked a few times.

"Were you really that deep in meditation, or were you sleeping?" There was no trace of humor in his voice.

"You weren't here yet, so I decided to meditate while I waited." I honestly felt a little embarrassed by the fact that I had fallen asleep while meditating. Hopefully I hadn't slept for too long though, I really didn't feel like dealing with an angry Orochimaru. "How long were you trying to get my attention?"

He chuckled softly. "I only now walked in child, I was just making sure you were well enough to train." Orochimaru walked across the room until there was a good twenty feet between us. Then he retrieved his Kusanagi from his throat as he usually does. Honestly I can't stand when he does that, it's a really disgusting habit of his, but he doesn't seem to mind holding a sword covered in his own saliva...

"Draw your sword child." I watched his eyes light up with excitement like they always do before a battle.

I stood up and removed my sword from its sheath and took a fighting stance. "What are we starting with?"

He smirked. "Stamina and endurance. We're going to sword fight until you're unable to continue. And you're not allowed to use your Sharingan." I watched as he spun his sword around in his hand a few times. "You're not going to get stronger physically if you rely solely on your Kekkei Genkai. Just because your eyes can see an attack coming, doesn't mean your body will be able to keep up with the attack, let alone counter it." He lunged at me, officially marking the start of our training session.

"Tch. I know that." I leapt forward and successfully countered his attack. Our swords continuously clashed together in perfect synchronization. Orochimaru and I were so in tune with each other in that moment, that I felt as if we were in the middle of a graceful dance rather than a sword fight.

Our dance continued for another two hours before I noticed Orochimaru didn't look too well. He swung his sword at me once, and instead of blocking his attack, I hit his sword out of his hand. It flew off into the corner of the room and stuck into the ground. I put my own sword back into its sheath.

Orochimaru hissed at me. "Sasuke, what do you think you're doing? Are you seriously telling me you're tired already?"

I sighed. "I would have no problem with continuing, you on the other hand, should take a break." He was covered in sweat and looked like he was about to pass out.

"What are you talking about child? I'm perfectly fi—" His sentence was cut short when he suddenly went into a violent coughing fit. I watched as he hunched over and clutched at his stomach.

I stepped a little closer to him as I hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. My heart skipped a beat as I began to gently rub circles on his back. I felt rather awkward and unsure of myself for the first time in my life. It was apparently helping to calm him down though, as his coughing began to die down. I felt like I should say something to him or ask him if he was alright, but I've never really been good with words; so I just continued to gently rub his back.

Orochimaru stopped coughing and took a few deep, shaky breaths as he straightened himself back up.

He appeared to catch his breath after another couple of minutes, and started breathing normally again.

"Sasuke." His voice was so quiet.

I looked up at him slowly, however; I failed to remove my hand from his back. "Yes?"

He raised a brow as he looked down at me. "You can remove your hand from my back now, I'm done coughing."

I tensed up immediately as I averted my eyes and removed my hand from his back. _"This can't be happening again...my heart is beating too quickly...I wish this didn't happen when I was around him."_

I couldn't look at him, and I couldn't move. Was I feeling embarrassed or shy?

He didn't laugh like he usually would, instead, he just stared at me for a moment. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut our training short today. I'm going to return to my room and lay down for a while."

He began walking away, but something was off. Orochimaru still looked like he could pass out at any second.

Without even thinking, I stepped forward and placed Orochimaru's left arm around my shoulders, and placed my right arm around his waist. "Before you start protesting, I'm just making sure the only person with enough skill to give me power doesn't injure himself." I began leading Orochimaru back to his bedroom. _"My heart beat is so loud and fast right now...Surely he can hear it..."_

To my surprise, he didn't protest, he just walked with me. The journey back to his room was rather silent, the only noises to be heard were those made by our footsteps. Once we reached his bedroom, he opened the door slowly. "My bed, child."

I walked him over to his bed and helped him lay down. I watched as he laid back against his pillow and let out a sigh. His eyes were closed now and he appeared to be in pain. "Let Kabuto know that I need him." He inhaled sharply and coughed a few times.

I frowned when I heard him use the words _Kabuto_ and _need _in the same sentence. "Understood."

Orochimaru sighed softly. "Thank you."

My heart stopped the moment I heard those words, and I said nothing as I left his room in search of Kabuto. I sighed as I walked down the hallway leading to Kabuto's lab. I hate how close Orochimaru's room is to Kabuto's lab. It takes only five minutes to reach it, but it takes twenty minutes from my own bedroom.

Kabuto looked up from his desk as I walked in. "Oh,Sasuke. And what brings you here?" He pushed his glasses back up as he spoke.

I was about to tell him what Orochimaru had intended me to, but it was in that moment that I decided I didn't want Kabuto anywhere near him. After all, I was supposed to have the next four hours alone with Orochimaru, and the fact that he was unable to train any longer wasn't going to change that. "Orochimaru asked me to come retrieve some medication that will help settle his stomach and prevent him from going into another coughing fit." I made sure that my voice sounded as uninterested as it usually does when I speak with Kabuto.

His eye twitched, and for a minute, he looked rather irritated. "Oh, I see. Well it'll just take me a minute to put something together for him." He turned around and began preparing Orochimaru's medication.

After a few more minutes he turned around and handed me a small cup filled with a rather vile looking liquid, along with a tall glass of water. "Here you are Sasuke. Make sure he drinks all of the medicine, as well as all of the water. I'm sure even _you_ can do that much."

I took the cups of water and medicine from his hands and resisted my sudden urge to punch him in the mouth. I turned around and made my way back to Orochimaru's room without so much as a thank you.

* * *

><p>I slowly opened the door to Orochimaru's room and walked in. He looked like he was sleeping, so I made sure to be quiet as I walked over to his bed. I gently placed the cups down on the bedside table. I wasn't really sure I should wake him up just yet, so I sat down on a chair near his bed.<p>

"I'm not sleeping you know." His voice was soft as he spoke, and his eyes had a gentle look to them as he stared at me. He shifted the pillow so he could sit up comfortably. I watched as he blinked a few times, trying to wake himself up from his short nap.

I stood up and grabbed the cup of medicine. "Here." I held the cup out to him. "Kabuto made something to settle your stomach and prevent you from coughing for a while." He took the cup from me and began drinking the foul medicine. Once he drank all of his medication, he gave the empty cup back to me, and I handed him the glass of water. I silently watched as he drank the entire glass of water.

He handed me the empty glass when he was finished, and I set it on his bedside table. I watched as he closed his eyes and slowly opened them again, and I could tell he was struggling to stay awake. "Sleep."

Orochimaru sighed and shook his head. "It wasn't just medicine I needed child." He blinked his eyes a few times. "I would prefer to sleep without this rope around my waist, it's not exactly comfortable."

My stupid heart skipped another beat when I realized he was expecting me to remove the rope for him. I leaned down and began to untie the purple rope that was around his waist. I wasn't really sure as to where he wanted it, so I just set it on his desk. "Do you need anything—" I didn't finish my sentence as he appeared to have gone to sleep in the short time since I turned my back on him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, and he appeared to be breathing normally. A sad sigh escaped my lips as I sat down in the chair beside his bed. I decided I was going to stay and watch him sleep for the remainder of our training time. I was rather content with watching over him for a little while, but after an hour of watching him sleep, my eyes began to feel heavy. _"Closing my eyes for a few minutes won't hurt anything..."_ I yawned softly and closed my eyes as I got more comfortable in the chair.

"_Sasuke." I thought I heard someone call my name. "Sasuke, wake up." I heard someone call my name again. _"Sasuke."

I jumped up and immediately opened my eyes. I blinked a few times before my vision became completely clear again. I realized it must have been Orochimaru's voice that I heard calling my name.

A yawn escaped my lips as looked over at him. "Hm?"

He looked at me with a soft and gentle expression as he spoke. "It's late. Have you been here since I fell asleep earlier?"

I nodded slowly. "I only meant to rest my eyes for a few minutes, I didn't mean to fall asleep..." My voice sounded unusually gentle as I spoke. "Sorry...I'll leave." It was rare for me to apologize, but the words came out of my mouth before I even knew what I was saying. I started to rise out of the chair so I could leave his room.

"Wait child." He tilted his head to the side and continued to look at me with a gentle expression.

I hesitantly sat back down into the chair and gave him a questioning look.

"I wasn't implying I wanted you to leave, I woke you up because I thought you might be more comfortable in a bed." Both his voice and his eyes were gentle as he spoke to me. "You're more than welcome to stay and sleep where you are though."

It would have been all too easy for me to get up and lay down on his bed, but I decided against it. I still wasn't ready to risk rejection. "Hn." I stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going to go back to my room." I slowly walked back to my room as I thought about the gentle expression on Orochimaru's face. Once I returned to my room and closed the door behind me, I pressed my back against it and sighed. I stood there leaning against the door for a few minutes before slowly sliding down to a sitting position. I laid my head back against the door and closed my eyes. _"If I don't get my emotions under control soon I'm going to end up doing something really stupid." _After another ten minutes of sitting on the floor, I decided to go to bed. _"I hope Orochimaru feels well enough to train with me some more tomorrow..." _Those were the last thoughts to go through my head before I fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Painful Memories

I awoke very early the next morning because of a horrible feeling I had in my stomach. I groaned a few times before forcing myself to get out of bed. After stretching a few times, I went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. _"It probably wasn't the best idea to go two days without eating..." _I sighed as I made my way to the small kitchen we have in the lair. I made myself a small helping of rice with chicken and vegetables, along with a cup of herbal tea. Another sigh escaped my lips as I sat down and began eating my breakfast.

Only a few bites in and I was already feeling better. _"Why on earth did I decide it would be a good idea to sleep for two days instead of eating?"_ Although I ate rather quickly, I savored every bite. _"I wonder if Orochimaru has eaten anything yet?" _I stood up to take care of my dishes and began making some vegetable soup for him. After the soup was finished, I placed it on a dinner tray and began walking towards Orochimaru's room.

It took me about ten minutes to reach his room from the kitchen. After I arrived, I slowly opened the door to his bedroom and quietly walked in. He was still sleeping, so I placed the bowl of soup on his bedside table. I had already anticipated that he would be asleep, so I had a cover over the soup. I watched him sleep for a few moments before turning around and leaving. I was curious to see if he would be up anytime soon, so I just stood outside of his door leaning against the wall.

_From behind the door I heard Orochimaru begin to stir in his bed. After a few more minutes I heard the rustling of blankets as he sat up. "Hm?" I assumed he had spotted the bowl of soup I left for him on his bedside table. I heard him pick up the bowl and take the lid off of it. After a moment, I heard the spoon hitting the edges of the bowl, which meant he must have started eating. He must have finished his soup after a few more minutes, because I heard him set the bowl back down on the table beside his bed. I heard him yawn and then sigh softly. _

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Which could only mean one thing; Kabuto was on his way to check on Orochimaru. I wanted to be near Orochimaru for a while longer, and Kabuto certainly wasn't going to stop me. I quietly made my way into the bedroom beside Orochimaru's and masked my chakra signals. I leaned against the wall connecting the room I was currently in with the room Orochimaru was in. _"Kabuto, you better not stay for too long."_

_I heard Kabuto open the door to Orochimaru's bedroom and walk in. "Ah, good morning Orochimaru-Sama, how are you feeling?" He asked in an overly happy sounding voice..._

_Orochimaru cleared his throat. "I'm alright." He went quiet for a moment, which probably meant he wasn't quite awake yet. "Thank you for the soup Kabuto, it was delicious." He sounded happy and grateful as he spoke. I could only imagine the beautiful smile he must have been giving Kabuto. _

"_Soup? Lord Orochimaru, I didn't make you any soup." Kabuto sounded a little confused as he spoke. _

It surprised me that Kabuto didn't take credit for making the soup. Wait. My heart stopped for a moment as I realized something: Orochimaru was going to know it was me who made the soup. I had every intention of getting as far away from this end of the lair as possible, but Orochimaru's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

"_Well if you didn't make this soup, that could only mean it was Sasuke who left it for me." He paused for a moment, no doubt thinking it was odd for me to show any sign of compassion. "Hmm, why would my dear cold-hearted Sasuke make me soup?" I could hear the amusement in his voice as he spoke. _

That did it. I could only imagine how perfect his expression must have looked just now. He always smiles such a mischievous smile when he's amused, and his eyes always light up in the most breath-taking way. His eyes could definitely be considered one of my weaknesses. I sighed softly as I continued to think about those golden orbs for a few more minutes. _"I need to leave...and get some fresh air for a while..." _Quietly and carefully, I left the room and made my way to the part of the lair that would take me above ground.

After I was outside I started jumping through the trees in the nearby forest. I really had no idea where I was going, I was just focused on getting away from Orochimaru for a while. I wandered through the forest for a couple of hours before I stopped to take a break. I decided to go to one of my favorite spots; a quiet little field surrounded by trees with a small pond in the center of it. I sat down near the edge of the pond and just stared at it blankly. After a few more minutes of resting, I decided to practice some of my fire jutsu. I was intent on making each fire ball jutsu bigger than the last. It wasn't until I'd been practicing for a good hour and a half that I started to feel drained.

After releasing one last fire ball jutsu, I placed my hands on my knees and took in a few deep breaths. _"I think the last time I practiced fire ball jutsu like this was—" _I cut my thoughts short when I realized where they were headed, and my heart sunk. The last time I had practiced my fire ball jutsu this intensely was when I was seven years old. It was the first time my father had ever shown any sign that he was proud of me... I wanted nothing more than to feel angry instead of hurt, but there was no one here for me to take my anger out on. I sighed and slowly sat down on the ground again. My thoughts betrayed me as they began to flood with memories of my past. I completely zoned out as I stared blankly into the water.

* * *

><p>I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn't move from my spot. "Sasuke?" Of course it would be Orochimaru. "Why are you just sitting alone out here in the middle of the night?" His voice was soft and casual as he spoke.<p>

I had been too absorbed in my thoughts to realize it was already night time. After sitting there for so long remembering the past, I felt completely numb. Not even the fact that Orochimaru had come to check up on me was making me feel better. I remained still and didn't answer his question.

"Sasuke?" He got closer and walked around me so he could see my face. He must have noticed the empty look in my eyes, as he suddenly knelt down in front of me and placed a hand on my face. "What's wrong child?" Now his voice was full of concern, probably for his own selfish reasons though.

I didn't know how to answer his question. If I don't respond at all, he'll know something is _really _bothering me. If I tell him the truth about why I've been sitting here like this, he'll think I'm weak. He'll think I'm still that young child who cries every time he misses his family. So I decided to do what I'm best at; push people away. I removed Orochimaru's hand from my face and remained silent.

He sighed. "If you don't tell me what's bothering you I can't help you." He waited a few more minutes to see if I would say anything, and when I didn't, he continued. "Fine. Stay out here for all I care, but pushing me away now isn't going to help you get stronger." With that said, he stood up and began walking back towards the hideout.

* * *

><p>I continued to sit there in my numb state for a while longer before deciding to head back to the hideout as well. I had only been walking through the forest for twenty minutes before I found Orochimaru leaning up against a tree. I felt a little surprised to see he had waited for me, and began walking towards him.<p>

His face was stern as he looked at me, but his eyes remained gentle. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" I shook my head slowly in response. "Is this going to effect your training tomorrow?" I shook my head again. "Then I'll leave it alone." He stopped leaning against the tree and gestured for me to follow him.

I stayed behind Orochimaru and kept my gaze on his back as we walked to the lair. It was a rather quiet walk for the two of us, he didn't speak a single word to me the entire walk back. _"Did he come to check up on me because he was genuinely worried? Or was it because he was afraid his __**precious vessel**__ might have been damaged?" _A million other thoughts ran through my head as I tried to figure out Orochimaru's motive for checking up on me. I was once again too absorbed in my thoughts to see what was happening right in front of me, and I bumped into something. Something soft brushed against my face, it felt like hair...but not my own. It took me a moment to realize I had bumped into Orochimaru, who had turned around to face me. I kept my face against his chest for a moment, I wanted nothing more than to be embraced and comforted by him...

He didn't push me away from his chest, or show any signs that he thought it was strange for me to stay there. "We've been walking for more than the two hours it would have taken us to get back to the hideout. Not to mention you zoned out to the point you actually ran into me. I was going to leave it alone, but whatever is bothering you is obviously going to be a hindrance." His voice was stern, but in a way that sounded like he was worried.

I stopped myself just as I was about to wrap my arms around him. _"No...I can't..." _I hesitantly stepped away from Orochimaru and turned around to make my way back to the hideout without uttering a single syllable.

I made sure I went straight to my bedroom the moment I returned to the hideout. I didn't even have the energy to sigh as I crawled into bed and collapsed against the pillow. Try as I might, I couldn't fall asleep. Hours had passed since my encounter with Orochimaru, and all I did was lay there resting my eyes. After another hour of sleepless rest; I felt rather thirsty and I got out of bed to quietly make my way to the kitchen. I poured myself a tall glass of water and sat down at the table. I set the glass down on the table after I drank most of the water. I folded my arms across the table and leaned down to rest my face upon them. A yawn escaped my mouth as I began to blink my eyes. Of course I would begin to fall asleep when I was _away _from the comfort of my bed. I struggled to keep my eyes open for a few more minutes before I realized that sleep was inevitable...

* * *

><p>"<em>Hmm? Sasuke." I felt someone shake my shoulders gently. "Sasuke? Wake up child."<em>

I opened my eyes to find that I was still in the kitchen, and Orochimaru was staring at me in confusion.

"...What?" I blinked a few times as I began to slowly sit up.

"I'm just trying to figure out why you were asleep at the kitchen table." Now he was looking at me with an amused expression; his eyes were gleaming mischievously, and he was smirking slightly.

His _high and mighty_ attitude is just too much for me to handle first thing in the morning... "I was thirsty." A small yawn escaped my lips, and I realized my short answer didn't really answer his question. "...and I fell asleep before I could make it back to my room."

He just sighed and shook his head, although his smile remained intact. "Well, no matter." He stared at me for a minute before continuing. "Since you're here, you might as well join me for breakfast. I'm going to need your assistance in the lab today, and we still have training later."

I frowned at that. "I thought you had a four-eyed teacher's pet who lives and breathes to help you?" There wasn't a single ounce of humor in my voice as I spoke to him. I absolutely _despise _Kabuto.

He raised a brow at my tone and chuckled softly. "Well you see, I sent Kabuto out on a very important errand and he won't be back for a couple of days." He walked over to the fridge, no doubt getting something ready for breakfast. After he grabbed his desired items from the fridge, he turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. "So I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the rest of the day."

I was about to say something in retaliation when his words sank in. My heart stopped for a moment and then started beating way too fast. _"You're stuck with me for the rest of the day."_ His words kept repeating in my head as I stared at his back. I allowed the smallest of smiles to form on my lips for a moment. _"I get to spend the entire day with Orochimaru. Alone. With no Kabuto to interrupt us." _I was beginning to feel extremely grateful that I had fallen asleep at the kitchen table last night; today was already off to a great start.


	5. Losing Control

I honestly couldn't believe how happy I felt in that moment; especially considering how awful I felt just a couple of hours ago. I really need to do something about these mood swings... Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I continued to watch Orochimaru as he began to cook us breakfast. _"Why must he be so __**perfect**__?" _I sighed contently as I thought that.

"You know, instead of sitting there and _watching_ me cook; you could actually get up and _help_ me." Orochimaru turned around to face me with a small smile of amusement on his face.

I didn't really want to get up and help, because then I wouldn't be able to admire him from across the room. "As I recall; _I_ cooked for _you_ yesterday, so now it's only fair that _you_ cook for _me_, and we'll call it even." I was talking in the tone I always use when I'm challenging him; the one that just screams 'I possess the blood of an all powerful clan and you don't'.

He chuckled softly at my reply before he turned around to finish cooking breakfast. "I never did thank you for that, child." He looked over his shoulder for a moment and looked at me with gentle eyes.

His comment caught me off guard and it took me a moment to form a response. "I thought it would be a shame if you starved to death before my training was completed." I made sure I didn't sound completely serious as I spoke. After all; the real reason I had made breakfast for him in the first place was because I was genuinely concerned about his health.

"Hmm, is that so?" He walked over and placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of me. "Or perhaps you've just become fond of my company?" He locked his eyes with mine as he spoke in a playful tone. When I didn't say anything in response, he let out another soft laugh and went to get a plate of food for himself. Once he fixed his plate, he walked back over towards the table and sat down next to me. "Are you going to eat your food or just stare at it?"

I frowned and then glared at him half-heartedly. "Shut up." I turned away from him and began to eat my food. Our breakfast went by quickly and quietly, neither one of us willing to break the silence. After we finished I got up and wordlessly grabbed both of our plates and walked over to the sink to clean them. Apparently it was my turn to be watched; as I could feel Orochimaru's eyes on me while I cleaned the plates. _"No heart, stop beating so fast, he's just... staring at me..." _I sighed as I finished taking care of the dishes.

Orochimaru stood up from his spot at the table and walked towards me. "Well, shall we head off to the lab?" He was standing rather close to me, and his soft and gentle voice was that much clearer to my ears.

"Hn." I cautiously turned around to face him, and thankfully he was still a few feet away from me. I stared at him for a moment, unable to stop myself from gazing into his eyes...again.

* * *

><p>We spent hours in Orochimaru's lab as he worked on various experiments. It felt like I had a mini heart-attack whenever our hands touched for the brief moment I would hand him something. "Are we going to train anytime soon? We've been in here for hours and I'm still not sure what you're doing."<p>

Orochimaru sighed and looked over at me impatiently. "I'm trying to concentrate child, wait a moment." He looked back over the items and various scrolls that were in front of him and completely ignored me for an entire hour. He really does enjoy experimenting...

After the first ten minutes of being ignored, I sat down in his chair and just watched him. He looked so focused on his work, and I could tell he was enjoying it. Whatever 'it' is... At least he was focused enough that I could stare at him all I wanted and not worry about him saying anything. It was the only thing keeping me occupied at the moment and I was starting to wonder if he had forgotten about my training.

He suddenly stood up straight and looked over at me. "Sasuke, come over here for a moment, I require assistance." He beckoned me over with a wave of his hand and then went back to staring at the scrolls in front of him.

I sighed and rose from my spot on his chair and went to see what he needed help with. "What is it?"

He looked back up at me. "Release a blast of your Chidori and pay attention to how much Chakra it uses up." Orochimaru was looking rather impatient at the moment, so I released a decent amount of Chidori from my hand without questioning him. "Now, swallow this pill and do the same thing as before."

I hesitantly took the pill from Orochimaru's hand and swallowed it. I released the same amount of Chidori as before hand and made sure to take note of how much Chakra it took. _"Amazing."_ I was stunned by the results. "It only took half of the amount of Chakra as before."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up at my words. "Excellent. That means I finally perfected the formula." He began writing down ingredients and instructions on a blank page in one of his books. "These will come in handy for training, and other battles we may get into in the future. It's a drug that reduces the amount of Chakra one needs to preform Jutsu." He smiled to himself, he was obviously proud of his accomplishment.

I frowned as I stared him at him with a rather annoyed expression on my face. I don't even know how many hours I spent helping him in the lab, and as much as I enjoyed the time with him; I would have rather we spent it doing _anything_ else.

"Huh?" Orochimaru blinked a few times and tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong child?" I didn't answer him, I just kept staring at him impatiently, waiting to see if he'd figure it out. "I'm not a mind reader you know. So you might as well spit it out already."

I sighed. "I've spent hours on end helping you in a field I'm not particularly skilled in, and I was under the impression you were going to train me today; but apparently, you forgot about me."

He looked genuinely surprised by my words and he pursed his lips for a moment. "Forgive me child, I was lost in the excitement of my experiment. Join me for lunch, and we'll begin training immediately after we finish." He started walking towards the exit and gestured for me to follow him.

I was extremely grateful that he turned around, because his words made me have another mini heart-attack, and I was sure I could feel my face heat up. _"I need to get my emotions under control. This being angry at him one minute and wanting to...to..." _I sighed and shook my head before following Orochimaru back to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Once we returned to the kitchen we began preparing a simple meal together. Neither of us spoke much as we cooked lunch, just a few words here and there when we needed a utensil or an ingredient. Every time I would hand him something, or he would hand me something, I would feel my heart skip a beat. <em>"I really need to hurry up and start training...It is getting harder and harder to keep my emotions in check. At this rate I'm going to end up doing something really stupid." <em>I sighed as I continued to battle with my own thoughts.

"I can't speed up how fast this food cooks without burning it. So if you're really that impatient, you can go to the training room and warm up while I eat." Orochimaru's words had suddenly broken the long silence between us and startled me in the process.

I looked over at him slowly. "Where did that come from? What makes you think I'm not hungry?" His words had confused me, and I was trying to figure out what they meant.

He just shook his head. "You've sighed quite a few times since we started making lunch, and I could only assume it was because you wanted to start training already." He raised a brow at me questioningly.

"Well that's your fault for making an incorrect assumption. I am perfectly fine with waiting until we've finished eating before we start my training." I turned around to finish my half of the meal and resisted the sudden urge to roll my eyes.

He stared at me with raised brows for a moment; clearly my little statement had surprised him. "Hmm." Orochimaru seemed to be thinking over his next words very carefully as he returned to cooking our fish. "Then if you're _perfectly fine _with waiting; why were you sighing like that?" He glanced over at me once to watch my reaction.

I refused to look over at him and I had to literally bite my tongue before I said something really stupid. _"Because you irritate me to no end with your irresistibly golden eyes that distract me from important things...like breathing." _After another minute of feeling his patient eyes on me, I decided to try and answer him. "..." But all I ended up doing was staring at him, which just continued to frustrate me. Without giving him an answer, I turned back to the vegetables I had been cooking and realized they were done. I slowly looked over at Orochimaru. "The vegetables are done."

He raised a brow and shook his head. "So you were sighing because the vegetables were done?" Orochimaru's voice had a playful and mocking tone to it as he spoke.

I blinked a few times before glaring at him. "Just shut up and make sure you don't burn our fish." I realized I didn't exactly sound angry with him, but I was finding it harder and harder to be unhappy around him.

Orochimaru chuckled softly before he turned to finish cooking our fish. "Hmm, it would appear that the fish is finished and is perfectly fine. It isn't burnt in the slightest." He turned off the small counter top grill he was cooking the fish on and smirked at me. He grabbed two plates and set them down on the counter. "I'm going to check on the rice now, so put the fish and vegetables on our plates." He must have heard the small sound of annoyance I made, because he added a quiet 'please' as he walked towards the stove.

I shook my head slowly as I watched him walk over to the stove. Even though he didn't exactly ask me, I still placed a fish and a small serving of vegetables on each of the plates. After looking down at the food on our plates I realized just how hungry I was. I looked over towards the stove. "Hey Orochimaru, is the rice done?"

He looked over at me for a moment and then back at the rice. "Yes, I'd say it's just about done." He turned off the stove and beckoned me over with a wave of his hand. He waited until I set our plates down on the counter next to the stove before he put a serving of rice on each of them. "Well, I'd say it's time to eat." He grabbed his plate and made his way over to the table.

I picked up my plate and was about to sit down when I realized something; I could either sit down at the far end of the table _away_ from Orochimaru, or sit down _next_ to Orochimaru. I felt extremely stupid as I contemplated where to sit; I mean _he _sat down next to _me_ this morning when we ate breakfast.

Orochimaru must have realized I was taking too long to sit down, for he suddenly looked at me with a small smile on his face. "You can sit down next to me dear Sasuke, it's not like I bite." His gaze wandered over to the left side of my neck and he smirked. "Well, I suppose that's not _entirely _true." He chuckled softly as he spoke.

The remark about my curse mark snapped me out of my foolish thoughts and I let out a frustrated sigh. I walked over to the table and sat down next to him. "I swear you talk just to hear your own voice sometimes..."

Orochimaru continued to smile in an amused way. "Perhaps." He let out another chuckle before turning his attention to his food. After a few minutes of eating in silence, Orochimaru looked over at me. "You know, it's been a rather nice change of pace today. Kabuto would never dream of telling me to shut up or glare at me and make rude remarks the way you do." He took a few more bites of his food before continuing. "You're not afraid to tell me what's on your mind or even afraid of being yelled at, and I have to thank you for that child."

I was completely overwhelmed by what he said. _"He enjoyed having me around? And he enjoyed it more than spending a day with Kabuto? He's thanking me because I'm not afraid to tell him what's on my mind? But... I am afraid to tell him what's on my mind. And his words are making it that much harder for me to keep those words from reaching my tongue..." _I finished up my last few bites of food and stood up to go clean my plate. I couldn't speak, and I needed to be on the other side of the room before he heard how loud my heart was beating.

I really needed to calm myself down. _"Calm down... I need to calm down... Just think of Itachi, and all of the awful things he's done these past nine years..."_ Not even that was working today. All I could think about was Orochimaru, and I was utterly confused. _"He's on my mind more than revenge lately, and that could be dangerous...I just need to wait until he's done eating so that we can start my training for today..." _

The thoughts had barely formed in my head and Orochimaru was already right beside me. He stretched his hands out towards the sink and took the plate from me. "There's no need for that right now, I've made you wait for your training long enough for one day." He set my plate down on the counter and smiled softly at me.

Orochimaru's hands came into contact with mine as he took the plate away from me. The feeling of his skin against mine made my heart stop, not to mention the fact that he was being considerate of me again, and smiling at me warmly. Willing myself to stay completely calm, I turned to him and nodded slowly in response. _"This man is going to be the death of me..." _


	6. Emotions

I followed Orochimaru to the training room in complete silence, just hoping I would be able to hold myself together long enough to make it through the rest of the day. But as I followed him through the halls and thought of the nice things he said about me today, that small hope I had of keeping my emotions in check was vanishing rapidly. I kept my pace slower than usual so I could stare at his back as we made our way to the training room. _"At least this way I have an excuse to stare at him..." _

Orochimaru suddenly turned around to face me and tilted his head. "Something on your mind, Sasuke?" He raised a brow as he questioned me, his serpentine voice putting too much emphasis on the 'S's in my name.

I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. "No?" It was my turn to tilt my head in confusion. _"Did he ask me something before while I was spacing out?" _

He pursed his lips as his brows knit together in concern. "You're walking awfully slow, are you even up for training today?" His eyes kept moving over me as if he was checking to see if I was alright. "I don't think either of us would be very happy if you pushed yourself to the point of death."

"_Seriously? I walk too slow and he thinks I'm dying?" _I scoffed and purposely bumped shoulders with him as I made my way to the training room. "Stop talking nonsense, Orochimaru." I glanced back for a second and saw just what I was expecting; Orochimaru was now looking at me like a hungry, excited predator just ready to attack its prey. I smirked and immediately ran full speed for the training room with Orochimaru close on my heels.

We started a full fledged taijutsu battle the moment we reached the training room. Both of us were moving incredibly fast as we tried to land a blow on the other. After ten minutes of flawlessly blocking and avoiding each others attacks, we each managed to hit the other in the face. The attack caused us both to stagger backwards, but I managed to recover a moment sooner than Orochimaru did, which resulted in him being thrown across the room.

His back collided with one of the pillars in the room and he let out a loud grunt. He locked his eyes with mine, and they looked as beautiful as they did deadly in that moment. "You do realize I'm going to have to repay you for that don't you?" He practically hissed out the words, but a smirk was adorning his features.

I returned his smirk. "Heh, you can try." I pulled out my sword as I ran across the room and nearly pierced Orochimaru's shoulder with it. He narrowly dodged it at the last second with a jump to the side and quickly pulled out his own sword. I spun around just in time to make our blades collide with one another and we both smirked.

Orochimaru's eyes lit up and he licked his lips in his usual snake-like manner. "I can see that you're just as excited as I am to be battling after a long day of rest." His words marked the start of a rather intense sword fight.

Our fight was all over the place; we fought around the room and on the walls, we even made it onto the ceiling at one point to add in some chakra control practice. We fought for hours, and I think it had gotten to the point that neither of us were very focused on improving our skills; we were more so letting out all of the extra energy we had from sitting around all day.

Just as I was about to charge Orochimaru again, he stopped and held up his hands. He took in a deep breath and blinked a few times. "I think it's time to call it a night." He must have caught the disappointed expression on my face, for he smiled softly. "Not to worry, we will resume our training tomorrow." He paused for a moment, and before I could even let my excitement show, he let out a small chuckle. "After you finish helping me out in the lab again of course."

I sheathed my sword after he was finished talking and decided there was no way in hell I was going to spend another minute in his lab. So I crossed my arms and sighed before giving him an innocent 'Do I have to?' look. I'm sure I looked like a child pouting more than anything, but I really did not care in that moment.

He blinked in surprise and gave me a sympathetic look. "Well, I suppose we could go to the nearby village and pick up some supplies, then perhaps have a nice meal neither of us have to cook." He walked towards me slowly and stopped when there was a few feet between us. "Then you can help me sort through the items and put them away, and we'll resume training after that." He tilted his head and starred at me for a moment. "Is that plan more to your liking, dear Sasuke?"

I nodded. "Yes, I suppose." I smirked at him. _"I would much rather we get your supplies, breakfast, and then take a walk through the forest and enjoy being outside for a while before being stuck underground again..." _

He raised a brow at my words. "Would the spoiled prince like something more then?" Orochimaru's voice sounded irritated, but playful as he spoke.

That surprised me. _"Spoiled prince? Is that how he sees me?" _I frowned and shook my head. "I do not think of myself as a prince Orochimaru, and I can't believe you'd think I was ungrateful after everything you've done for me. All I was hoping for was to spend some more time with you outside of this underground prison." The last sentence was out of my mouth before I could stop myself and I immediately turned around to return to my room. _"Why did I just say that to him?" _

Orochimaru's eyes had widened in surprised after hearing what I'd just confessed to. He started to walk after me. "Sasuke wait—"

I quickened my pace and cut him off mid-sentence. "Forget it, Orochimaru. I just want to be alone for the rest of the night." Thankfully, my room was just a few minutes away from the training area, so I didn't have too long before I would be granted my wish. After I entered my room, I slammed the door shut and collapsed onto my bed, letting out a sigh of frustration as I did so. _"Why did I just say that to him?" _I continued to repeat that question to myself for a while, and after an hour of feeling like I was going to explode from an emotional overload; I managed to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning came much too fast for my liking. I forced myself to get out of bed and take a quick shower, dreading what Orochimaru would say to me. <em>"Is he going to ask me about it? Is he going to leave it alone? Is he not going to want me to be around him today?" <em>Hundreds of similar thoughts rushed through my head for the next thirty minutes, and I realized it was just better to go see him and get it over with.

No sooner had I thought that, and there was a knock on my bedroom door. I let out a small sigh and walked out of the bathroom. I opened the door to see Orochimaru standing there completely dressed and ready for the day ahead of us. I, on the other hand, was only wearing a pair of pants and a towel around my neck.

Orochimaru raised a brow in amusement as he allowed his gaze to wander up and down my body a few times.

I scoffed as I watched him."Now who's staring?" I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame.

To my surprise, he actually looked a little caught off guard by the question, and he immediately looked back up at my face.

Orochimaru pursed his lips for a moment and then looked like he was having a hard time figuring out what to say. "We can leave for town as soon as you're ready." He was looking at me strangely, and I couldn't figure out what his expression meant. "That is...if you're still willing to go with me."

My heart stopped at his words. "I will be ready in a few more minutes, I need to finish getting dressed." I turned around and went back into my bathroom to gather the rest of my clothes. I glanced at him through my bangs as I was getting dressed.

He was now leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. And he was watching me as I finished dressing. His eyes looked as if they were staring at a priceless jewel, or a rare treasure that he longed to have.

I stopped looking at him and tried to focus on getting into my shoes. _"He—__**Orochimaru**__...was __**staring**__ at __**me**__." _I honestly couldn't believe my eyes, and my heart began beating at an extremely dangerous pace. I was now fully dressed and had no other excuse to _not _look at him, so I willed myself to remain calm and turned my attention back to Orochimaru. "I'm ready."

Orochimaru stepped away from the door frame and nodded. "Alright then child, would you prefer we eat first, or buy my supplies?" His expression was calm and calculating as he looked at me.

I thought about it for a minute and decided it didn't matter, because I was still going to spend time with him either way. But then I thought of something else: if Orochimaru and I eat first, he's going to want to rush the meal so we could pick up his supplies. "You should pick up your supplies first, that way we can take our time as we eat."

Orochimaru nodded in agreement and gestured for me to follow him. We walked in silence for the first twenty minutes or so before Orochimaru finally spoke up. "Forgive my words from last night child, I did not mean to imply that I think you're nothing but an ungrateful, spoiled prince. I was simply trying to tease you, I meant no harm."

I closed my eyes and willed myself to calm down again. Great. Orochimaru just apologized to me, and did so in the most soft and considerate voice I've ever heard. I took in a deep breath and sighed. _"I think I have a very long and tiring day ahead of me..." _


	7. Payback

I followed Orochimaru in complete and utter silence as he lead the way to the nearby village. He did _apologize_ to me after all; that's not exactly something I'm used to. Not to mention the fact that he was _not-so-subtly_ checking out my half-naked body when he came to my room earlier...

The village is about a three hour walk from this particular lair, and I wasn't really paying attention to how long we'd been walking. I was too absorbed in my thoughts to tell time or even pay attention to where I was going. And that was quite evident when I bumped into Orochimaru's back. My heart stopped when my face came into contact with his silky black hair. _"...You've got to be kidding me, right?" _

Orochimaru turned around and looked at me with a brow raised in amusement. "Sleep walking back there, are we?" He wore a small smirk upon his lips as he spoke.

I sighed. "No, just thinking." - About you - "I can assure you that I am wide awake." I wished he would just turn back around and start walking again; for he was still extremely close to me and I was afraid that he might hear my heart frantically beating inside of my chest.

He chuckled a little and shook his head. "Well, if you say so child..." His expression turned to that of calculation and concern. "Something in particular on your mind that has lead you to be so quiet? I realize you're not the most talkative person in the world, but we've held quite a few conversations these past couple of days, and I'm beginning to think something is wrong."

Had Orochimaru not been standing right in front of me, I would have face-palmed. _"Yes, there is something in particular that has lead me to be so quiet: __**You. **__And your perfect voice, and your perfect—" _

"Hello? Sasuke?" Orochimaru's words cut me off in the middle of my thinking. "You're doing it again child, just what are you thinking about?"

I sighed and tried my best to look annoyed. "Well _now_, I'm thinking of you and how you just assume that I have something new and interesting to talk about since the last time we spoke."

Orochimaru chuckled softly at my words and gestured for me to continue following him with a nod of his head. "Very well, I suppose we should continue since the village is just up ahead." He turned around and resumed walking.

I decided to walk beside him the rest of the way to the village, as that might satisfy him enough to stop telling me how quiet I am. _"I get to spend another day with Orochimaru...but he doesn't seem too interested in staying out of the lair the entire time..." _I glanced over at Orochimaru for a second and sighed. _"I am going to do everything in my power to make sure we stay away from the lair as long as possible today..." _

Orochimaru stopped walking just as the village came into view. "Sasuke, I suggest you go eat something by yourself while I get my supplies." He looked over at me expectantly. "It'll take me a while to collect them all, as I'll have to go to a few different stores. I can just eat back at th—"

"No. We're eating together, _after_ you collect your supplies." I cut his sentence short as I needed to make it clear to him that his plan did not interest me in the slightest. "I am not so hungry that I will starve during the short time it takes you to walk to a few different stores. And I am under the impression that you already know what you're getting, so I don't mind waiting."

Orochimaru blinked a few times and looked dumbfounded by my sudden interruption. "..." He was apparently rendered speechless by my words, for he just stared at me for a moment before nodding. Wordlessly, he turned his attention back to the path and began walking towards the village again.

I smirked to myself as I started to follow him once more. _"We're doing what __**I**__ want to do today. There is no way in hell I'm spending another day in that stuffy lab."_ It only took us a few more minutes to reach the village, and I continued to silently follow him.

Orochimaru cautiously turned around and looked at me. "I have to go in this store first, I'll only be a minute, if you're sure you don't mind waiting..." He waited for me to nod my head before he entered the store we were standing in front of.

I walked across the street to sit down on one of the various benches that the village had. Patiently, I waited for Orochimaru to return and lead the way to the next store. I glanced over at the store he was currently in through my bangs, and I smirked to myself again. There he was, waiting for the the cashier to give him his total, and looking at me with that same confused expression as before. _"Yes Orochimaru, I am going to torture you in the same subtle ways that you use to torture me day after day." _

I watched him thank the cashier as he took his bag from the counter. And as he began walking towards me, I noticed that he just didn't look like himself. His usual confident and arrogant appearance was replaced with that of unsureness and confusion. He stopped just a few feet in front of the bench I was sitting on. "I'm ready to head the the next store Sasuke, and if I remember correctly; it's over a few streets."

I stood up and looked at him expectantly. "Lead the way." I continued to follow him to each store and wait patiently for his return; which only brought on further torment for him. My behavior was no doubt causing him to go out of his mind, as I caught him staring at me every few minutes when he was paying for his items.

After he finished up at the fourth store, he announced that he was done shopping and that we could find a place to eat. He stared at me for a moment, and appeared to be thinking quite hard about something. "Where would you like to eat? It's only fair you pick, as I made you wait so long."

I shook my head and looked at him patiently. "No, I told you earlier that I didn't mind waiting. You didn't force me to do anything, so it does not matter to me where we eat. As long as it is not back at the lair, it makes no difference to me where our destination is." I kept my tone polite and casual, which was apparently having the desired effect on him.

Orochimaru furrowed his brows and pursed his lips as he stared at me. "Just what are you up to, Sasuke?" He definitely seemed to be irritated by my unusually calm and patient behavior. "Are you trying to irritate me as payback for making you wait so long to train yesterday?"

I scoffed. "Just because I am an avenger, does not mean all of my actions are acts of vengeance Orochimaru. I was simply repaying your kindness and consideration, but if it means so much to you, I have no problem giving you the silent treatment and treating you like trash for the rest of the day."

He blinked several times in surprise and gave me an apologetic look. "...Oh." He turned around and started walking away from me. "I guess we can go to the cafe that's up ahead..."

I stood up and smirked in satisfaction as I followed him. _"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was embarrassed by my statement." _I was feeling very happy at the moment, and realized that must be how Orochimaru feels all the time. He honestly deserves to know what I've felt like for the past year, even if he'll only experience it for a day.

Orochimaru lead the way to a small cafe that we'd eaten at before. There was only one table that was available when we walked in, and it was in a more secluded area towards the back. The not-so-smug Orochimaru, lead me over to the lone table and sat down across from me. Rather then look at me or try and strike up a conversation; Orochimaru rested his chin against his left hand and looked out the window.

A waitress came by our table after a few minutes, and since Orochimaru seemed preoccupied, I ordered for him. The waitress bowed her head before she left to take care of our order. I turned my attention back to Orochimaru and smiled a little. The man who was complaining mere hours ago about me not talking, was now completely ignorant of my presence. And it was all because my kindness had embarrassed him.

We remained like that for the next 10 minutes or so; Orochimaru was staring out the window while I was staring at him. After a few more minutes however; our waitress arrived with our orders. Once confirming that we didn't need anything else, she gave a bow of her head and walked away.

Orochimaru was still looking out the window, which caused another smile to adorn my features. "Hey." He didn't even glance at me. "Are you going to eat your food or just stare out the window?"

He blinked and looked over at me. "What? But I haven't ordered anything..." Orochimaru looked down at the table and saw a plate full of his favorite foods. "...Sasuke..." He tilted his head for a moment. "You ordered for me?"

I nodded my head in reply and began eating my breakfast. "Just eat before it gets cold, you don't have to thank me." He looked a little confused by my statement. "I've eaten enough meals with you over the past couple of years to know what you like to eat."

* * *

><p>We ate our breakfast in silence, but it was a comfortable kind of silence. The waitress came back to our table just as we finished eating, and asked if we were ready to pay. I had told her yes and paid for it before Orochimaru could.<p>

Right before we left the waitress turned to us and asked: "Are you two here to attend the festival tonight?"

A festival. That was just the excuse I needed to keep Orochimaru away from the lair for the rest of the day. "Yes, as a matter of fact we are." I gave the girl a slight bow of my head before leading Orochimaru out of the cafe. I started walking towards the small park area the village had.

Orochimaru followed me silently and didn't say a word until I sat down against a tree. He sighed and looked down at me. "Sasuke, a festival, really?" He frowned. "Wouldn't you much rather go back the lair and train?"

It was my turn to frown. "Fine, you can go back to that stuffy underground lair, but I am in need of some fresh air." I laid my head back against the tree and closed my eyes. "I also thought it might do your health some good if you stayed above the ground for a while. You've been a little sluggish during training lately, and I would like our battles to be on equal terms." I took in a deep breath and let out a content sigh. "But, if you want to walk three hours by yourself back to the lair and have no one to keep you company for the rest of the day; be my guest."

Orochimaru went completely silent for a moment, before sitting down next to me. "...Fine, I'll stay here and go to the festival with you, if that's what you want." He paused for a moment. "You do realize that the festival is still several hours away, don't you?" I nodded in reply, to which he gave another sigh. "So what do you suggest we do until then?"

I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him. He was looking rather irritated, and was no doubt expecting another thoughtful plan from me. I just couldn't hold back the smile that suddenly formed on my face, and before I knew it, I had started laughing.

This had apparently irritated him further, for he suddenly glared at me. "What the hell is so funny all of sudden? All I did was ask you a reasonable question."

I stopped my sudden burst of laughter to answer him. "I honestly have no idea as to what we should do until the festival starts."

Orochimaru's mood didn't seem to lighten any after my confession. "...I think I should have just left you at the lair."

I simply smirked and laid back against the tree, closing my eyes in the process. He followed suit and seemed to relax a little, and just when the calm and peaceful atmosphere returned; I couldn't help myself. "...I needed the fresh air anyway." I opened one eye and looked over at him.

He glared at me half-heartedly. "Oh yes, I definitely should have left you at the lair."


	8. Breaking Point

After seeing how much of an effect I had on Orochimaru today, I decided to stop my mocking, and teasing. I kept silent as I laid back against a tree, I was just extremely happy to be outside. It makes me feel sick and unpleasant when I spend too much time in the lairs. There was a nice ray of sunlight shining down on me as I sat there, and a very comfortable, warm breeze accompanied it. Feeling quite relaxed and content; I started to drift off to sleep. My hope of sleeping in the warm atmosphere around us did not last very long, as Orochimaru suddenly called my name. "Hmm?"

"Is it really necessary for me to go to the festival with you? If you want the fresh air, you certainly don't need me around to receive it." He was apparently still not enjoying the idea of going to the festival, for he spoke with an unamused tone in his voice.

I sighed as my heart sank and I began to feel doubtful about getting anywhere with Orochimaru again. "...No, if you wish to return to the lair, I won't stop you." All of my content feelings were gone in an instant, and I didn't feel like talking anymore.

Orochimaru must have sensed something was bothering me, for he continued to sit there next to me. It was quiet for a little while, and then he spoke up. "Sasuke." He waited until I looked over at him before he continued. "Correct me if I'm wrong; but I get the feeling that you were looking forward to going to the festival with me."

I felt like rolling my eyes at that statement. _"Really? What could have possibly given you __**that**__ idea?" _I refrained from voicing my thoughts and remained silent. My happy mood from earlier had completely vanished. It was becoming extremely difficult to be around Orochimaru. One minute everything was fine between us, and then suddenly he would do a 180 on me and shatter the nice atmosphere we had going.

He tilted his head and looked at me a little confused. "What?" He continued to stare at me and frowned. "What did I do to upset you now? You were perfectly fine all morning, and now you're not speaking to me."

That time I did roll my eyes. "You're said to be a genius; so you figure it out." I stood up from my place at the tree and started to walk away. _"...I really hate feeling angry with him..." _I sighed. _"Actually, what I really hate, is how quickly I become angry with him." _

He stood up and followed me. "Sasuke, I think you've got an issue with mood swings, and you might want someone to look into them." His voice was back to its usual playful tone, and my anger vanished.

I sighed and turned around to face him again. His face looked so calm and there wasn't a single hint of irritation left on it. Upon seeing this, I had to avert my eyes and look at the ground, as I was suddenly feeling guilty for snapping at him. "...Sorry."

Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Come now, what's this?" He took a step towards me and gently placed his fingers under my chin. He carefully lifted my head so that he could see my face. "You've never been one for apologies, Sasuke."

I felt extremely helpless in that moment, all I could do was stare at him. He really has no respect for personal space. And as I stared into his eyes, I realized that he had complete control over me again. "...I just wanted to go to the festival with you..."

His eyes widened in surprise and then he smiled softly. "Goodness child, getting all worked up because you don't want to go to a festival alone?"

I sighed and stared at him helplessly. "No, you're wrong." I kept my eyes locked with his as I spoke. "I don't want to go with you because I'm afraid of being alone; I genuinely wish to attend the festival _with you._"

Orochimaru's hand was still under my chin as we spoke. "Well, I do recall already having agreed to go with you... and you've never asked me for much in all the time you've been with me, so try and cheer up, will you?"

I felt a little better after hearing his words, and I nodded slowly. "...Okay." I could feel my face start to heat up because he was still holding my chin and staring at me with gentle eyes. "Orochimaru? Could you remove your hand from my face now?"

"Oh..." His eyes went wide for a moment and he pulled his hand away from my face. "Forgive me child, I didn't realize it was still there." He smiled a little as he looked at me. "Now then, I don't suppose you've decided on what to do until the festival starts, have you?"

I sighed and then shook my head. "No, I still have no idea what we could do." I tilted my head. "You pick something, as long as we're outside it doesn't really matter to me."

Orochimaru chuckled softly at my words. "Hmm, I think I know what we can do. Wait here and I'll return shortly, alright?" He smiled when he saw the doubtful look on my face. "Don't worry, you have my word that I will return, just wait here for a little while."

I sighed before returning to my earlier spot against the tree. I looked up at Orochimaru and frowned. "You have thirty minutes."

He nodded his head and smiled at me one more time before walking back to the village. He was getting harder and harder to see, and before I knew it, I could no longer see him.

* * *

><p>I sat there anxiously awaiting his return. I was suddenly feeling nervous and doubtful, and was thinking that perhaps he was just going to leave me sitting here. It was becoming difficult for me to remain patient, and I caught myself looking in the direction of the village several times a minute. I let out a sigh and moved away from the tree before collapsing onto my back. I laid there in the grass just staring up at the tree leaves as they swayed in the warm breeze.<p>

I sighed again and just laid there thinking about Orochimaru. _"It will never cease to amaze me how quickly he can make me a do a 180... I was feeling fine all day, and was enjoying my time with him, and suddenly I'm back to feeling helpless and confused..." _My eyes started to feel heavy and I was finding it difficult to keep them open. I gave in and closed them, trying my best to enjoy the nice warm air around me. I was slowly slipping away into unconsciousness, when the sunlight was suddenly blocked from my face.

"You must not have been too worried that I wouldn't come back if you were sleeping." It was Orochimaru. He was standing there looking down at me with an amused smile on his face. He was holding a paper bag in his hands, and I wondered what he had bought.

I groaned and looked up at him. "I wasn't sleeping." My words weren't really enough to convince him though, as a moment later I let out a soft yawn. I glared at him half-heartedly when he laughed. I sat up and repositioned myself against a tree. "What did you buy?"

He sat down in front of me and removed something from the bag. "Shogi." He began opening the newly purchased game and setting it up.

I tilted my head. "Shogi?" I stared at him in disbelief. "We're going to play shogi until the festival starts?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly at my words. "Well I didn't think we'd play the _entire_ time. I just figured it would take us quite some time to finish one game, since we're both so intelligent." He smirked when he saw the unamused look on my face. "Come now child, you make the first move."

I sighed when I realized he was being completely serious. I stared at all of the pieces on the board for several minutes and frowned.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Well, the first move usually only takes a few seconds to make Sasuke." He smiled mischievously when I looked up to glare at him. "Are you going to make your move or do I have to wait for that too?"

I let out a frustrated sigh and frowned at him. "I..." The next words that came out of my mouth were barely audible as I looked anywhere but his face. "...I don't know how to play."

"Well that's alright child, we have plenty of time for me to teach you." He got up and moved to sit next to me. "It's a fairly simple game, it's all about strategy really." Orochimaru was patient with me and spent the next hour or so teaching me how to play, and showing me different strategies you could use.

* * *

><p>We spent quite a while playing shogi. Half the time had been me learning how to play, the other half was us actually playing. After the time it took for me to learn how to play, and the two actual rounds we played, I was quite bored with the game.<p>

Orochimaru must have noticed this, for he began to put the game back in its box. "Hmm, well what would you like to do now?" He finished putting the shogi pieces back in their box and sealed them away in a scroll he was carrying his other supplies in.

I gave him a blank expression and frowned. "After all of that shogi I am perfectly fine with _not_ thinking for the rest of the day..." I sighed and collapsed onto the grass again. "You pick something."

He chuckled softly at my words. "Hmm." Orochimaru sat there thinking for a few minutes, and looked extremely handsome as he did so. "Perhaps we should go back to the village and get some lunch." He looked down at me to see what I thought of his suggestion.

I yawned softly and blinked a few times. "That would require me getting up though, and I don't think I'm quite ready to do that." I felt extremely tired after all of the shogi we played. And on top of that, it had been right after I learned _how_ to play.

Orochimaru chuckled again and sat down against the tree just a few inches away from me. He let out a content sigh and relaxed against the tree. "Well then, perhaps we should just enjoy the unusually calm atmosphere around us. Let me know when you're ready to eat."

I closed my eyes and yawned again. "Hn." It was extremely comfortable out in the forest right now; the air was neither too hot nor too cold, and there was a nice warm breeze that would come through every so often. Suddenly my stomach began to rumble, which had completely ruined any chance I had of taking a nap. I sighed as I opened my eyes and looked over at Orochimaru. I felt the smallest of smiles begin to form on my face as I spoke. "Orochimaru...I'm ready to eat."

His eyes were closed as he rested against the tree, and he smiled at my words. "Hmm, perhaps _I_ do not feel like getting up now." He opened his eyes to look down at me, and noticed the hopeful look on my face. "Very well then." He stood up from his place at the tree and held his hand out. "Come along, child."

I felt my heart skip a beat when I placed my hand in his. I knew I didn't need his help to stand up, but it would have been insulting to ignore his kind offer...and it was an excuse to hold his hand. After I stood up I held his hand for a second longer than was needed, but he didn't say anything. He was so very warm, and it took all of my will power to step away from him. However, I moved a little too fast and nearly fell.

Orochimaru grabbed onto me and looked at me questioningly. "I think you may be more hungry than you thought. You seem to be a little light-headed." He was staring at me with the most concerned look I'd ever seen, all while holding me close to him.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. He was _holding_ me. My heart was beating so fast and loud that I was sure he could hear it. All I could do was stare at him and try to calm myself down. _"N-Not good..."_

Orochimaru frowned. "Are you alright Sasuke? You don't look well at all." He kept a gentle hold on me as he spoke, and was no doubt awaiting a reply from me.

I took in a deep breath and let it out. "I-I'm fine Orochimaru..." Okay, I did not sound fine. "I was just a little light-headed...I lost my balance from standing up too quickly." My voice sounded normal again and I hoped he would believe me.

He stared at me for a moment longer before carefully letting me go. "Alright, if you say so child. But please let me know if you're still not feeling well after you've eaten." He began walking towards the village and gestured for me to follow him.

This time I made sure to stay close to him as we walked. I no longer trusted my voice at the moment, so I stayed silent. _"That was too close...I really need to be more careful..." _I made sure to pay attention to where we were walking so that I wouldn't run into him again. I could feel his eyes on me every couple of minutes, which gave me the feeling I had really worried him. _"Hmm...Orochimaru, worried about __**me**__? No, worried about his __**vessel**__, not me..." _

Orochimaru silently lead the way to a nice, quiet cafe where we were going to eat our lunch. He picked a table that was in a more empty area of the cafe, just like we did at breakfast. He sat down opposite of me again as we waited for a waitress. "I suggest you eat something filling...chicken, perhaps?"

I nodded slowly. "Chicken is fine." It was my turn to stare out the window and zone out. I was trying desperately to figure out his reason for seeming so worried about me. Was he truly worried about _me_, or my _body...?_ It was frustrating me to no end; I could not figure him out. I sighed when I felt his eyes on me again. I turned my attention back to Orochimaru and decided just to ask him instead of trying to figure it out. "Orochimaru, I have a question."

Orochimaru softened his expression. "What is it child?"

Even though I was so nervous I felt like I could throw up, I voiced my question. "Before, when I almost fell, were you truly worried about _me_ or your _vessel_?" Thankfully, I was able to keep my voice even and my expression neutral.

He blinked a few times and looked genuinely surprised. "Where did that come from all of sudden?" He sighed after a moment when he realized I was expecting an actual answer. "I'm not quite sure _why_, but, all I know is that I felt worried about _you – _Sasuke Uchiha. The person, not the vessel. As a matter of fact, that word has been the farthest thing from my mind these past few days."

I immediately felt relieved after hearing those words. "...Thank you."

He chuckled softly. "What are you thanking me for?" He stared at me as he patiently awaited my answer, however; a waitress walked over to our table and asked what we would like to drink. Orochimaru ordered for both of us. "Actually, we're ready to order our food as well." He waited until she was ready to write down our orders before continuing. "We're each going to have grilled chicken with a side of rice and vegetables. I will take a regular iced-tea, and he will have an unsweetened iced-tea."

The waitress wrote everything down and took the small menus from the table. "Alright, I'll bring your drinks out in just a moment." She walked towards the kitchen to give the cooks our order. She returned a minute later with our iced-teas and assured us that our food would be ready shortly.

I took a small sip of my iced-tea and decided to answer Orochimaru's earlier question honestly. "...Having someone who cares enough to worry about me is a foreign concept that I have trouble wrapping my mind around..."

Orochimaru remained quite for a moment as he watched me. "I see..." His expression remained soft and gentle as he spoke. "I suppose you're just going to have to get used to it then."

My eyes widened slightly in surprise. "..." I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent. I stared at him and tried to figure out what he was thinking, but it was no use. I let out a sigh and frowned. _"How is it possible for one person to have this much control over another?"_

He tilted his head in amusement. "What are you thinking about now child? You need not look too much into what I said, I'm not mocking you. I was just letting you know that I don't hate you." His voice carried a sound of amusement as he spoke, and I realized he must have been trying to lift my gloomy mood.

I half-heartedly glared at him. "So if you don't hate me, then how _do_ you feel about me?" I realized I might not exactly like the answer to that question, but it was too late to take it back now.

Orochimaru looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. "Hmm, I'm not quite sure how to put it into words." He smiled at me softly. "I suppose it would be no fun to tell you _everything_ I think and feel...after all; what else would we talk about on other days like today?"

My heart skipped a beat at those words. _"...other days like today..."_ I stared at him in mild shock. _"Does that mean he really has enjoyed our time together?" _I took another sip of my iced-tea as I resisted the urge to sigh again.

It was Orochimaru's turn to frown. "Come now child, what's wrong? Where did your happy mood go?" He looked genuinely worried...again.

I sighed and shook my head. "Does something have to be wrong with me before I'm allowed to stay quiet for a while?" Fortunately for me; our waitress returned with our food before Orochimaru got the chance to answer my question. This gave me the perfect excuse to remain silent; as I could focus on eating.

* * *

><p>Lunch had gone by quickly and quietly, Orochimaru had apparently given up on getting me to talk for the moment. After we had finished eating, he had been the one to pay the check. I quietly thanked him as we walked out of the cafe, and he chuckled softly.<p>

"You need not thank me for everything child." He raised a brow in amusement. "It's highly out of character for you."

I sighed at his words. "Yes, well, it's highly out of character for me to enjoy spending time with another human being; but here we are." Those words had slipped before I even realized what I had said. _"He's going to have no trouble reading too far into those words..." _I could feel my face start to heat up and quickly walked past Orochimaru so that he wouldn't notice.

I walked as quickly as I could until I reached our earlier resting place in the forest. I let out a sigh and slid down against a tree. _"This is getting ridiculous..."_ I wrapped my arms around my legs and placed my face against my knees as I brought them up to my chest. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down for what seemed like the thousandth time today.

* * *

><p>I'm not sure how long I had stayed like that; but it felt like hours to me. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts, that I never heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A warm and gentle hand suddenly touched the left side of my head. I jumped in surprise and looked up to see Orochimaru kneeling in front of me.<p>

His expression was soft and gentle, but I could see the concern in his eyes. "Why on earth did you wander off so quickly?" His hand remained upon the left side of my head; cupping my face gently.

I kept my eyes locked on his and remained silent for a moment. "...I..." His gaze remained calm and patient as he awaited my answer. "...don't feel right..."

Orochimaru knit his brows together and tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean you don't feel right? Are you still feeling ill?" He frowned when I didn't answer. "I'm not going to keep you from going to the festival if you say yes." His expression softened again when he saw me nod in reply. "Are you still feeling light-headed or dizzy?"

And again, all I did was slowly nod my head in reply.

He smiled at me sympathetically. "Is there anything else bothering you, or is that all?"

I slowly opened my mouth to speak. "...My stomach feels like it's in knots and my chest feels heavy..."

All of those things were true, but they weren't caused by the common cold; my undying love for Orochimaru was the root of my symptoms.

He frowned at my reply. "Well, you might be coming down with something..." He stayed silent for a moment; probably trying to figure out what was wrong with me. "Although; it could also be that you ate something that is not agreeing with your body today."

I sighed when I felt my face start to heat up again. "Orochimaru..." I frowned at him. "Can you take your hand off of my face now?"

Orochimaru pulled his hand away slowly and looked a little surprised. "Sorry, I wasn't aware my hand was still there." He sat down next to me and was close enough that our shoulders were touching, but then he suddenly started laughing. "Well _that_ sounded quite familiar, wouldn't you agree?"

I realized he must have been talking about earlier when the same thing had happened. "Maybe you needed a lesson on how to keep your hands to yourself..." I felt a little better when I saw him raise his brow in question. "A lesson you failed both times, I might add."

He chuckled softly. "Well, setting my failures aside; what do you suggest we do for the next hour or so?"

I laid my head back against the tree and closed my eyes. "I don't feel up to doing much right now; can we just sit here and rest until the festival starts?"

Orochimaru shifted against the tree a little, and we were laying rather close to each other. His head was nearly resting upon mine, and he let out a content sigh. "Of course child; we can do whatever you'd like today."

I knew then that this day was far from over; there were still hours of alone time with Orochimaru, and I wasn't sure how much more my heart could bear. _"I'm getting very close to my breaking point...my heart may very well win over what my head is telling me...and that could be dangerous..." _


	9. Confession

The two of us sat there in silence; it wasn't exactly a comfortable silence for me, as I was experiencing an internal conflict. I sighed in frustration; I really needed to calm down and relax for a while. I had come so close to falling asleep multiple times today, and I hoped that the third time really was the charm. I willed myself to fall asleep and I could feel myself slowly drifting away.

I wasn't exactly in the most comfortable position for sleeping, so I shifted a little. I felt warmth next to me and leaned towards it. My head rested against something firm; and whatever it was, was quite warm and very comfortable. The moment I was about to fall asleep, I realized just what it was I had laid my head upon; it was Orochimaru's shoulder. _"Oh no..."_

It only took that small realization for me to be fully awake again. I quickly sat up and moved away from Orochimaru. I started to shift around to the other side of the tree, but I stopped when a hand was gently placed on my shoulder. I looked over to see Orochimaru staring at me with a kind expression on his face.

"You didn't have to move Sasuke, you weren't bothering me." He gently pulled on my arm until I sat back down. "If you want to sleep for a little while go ahead." Orochimaru smiled softly as he spoke. "I don't mind if you lean against my shoulder either; if you're still not feeling well, I would rather you be comfortable, alright?"

I stared at him in disbelief. _"What? He's...giving me permission to sleep against his shoulder?" _I hesitantly laid back down against Orochimaru. _"Hmm, he's warm..." _I slowly blinked my eyes a few times before I could no longer keep them open. _"Orochimaru said it was okay, so I'll go to sleep..." _It didn't take long for me to drift off into unconsciousness while laying against the warmth and comfort of Orochimaru's body.

* * *

><p>I awoke to the very pleasant feeling of someone massaging my scalp. "Hn..." I slowly blinked my eyes open and let out a soft yawn. I felt much better after having slept for a while, but my anxiety threatened to return when I realized just who it was that was massaging my head.<p>

Orochimaru's hand stopped moving, but remained on top of my head. "Finally awake I see?" His voice was so very gentle as he spoke to me. "You were sleeping quite soundly for the past hour and a half; do you feel any better?"

It took me a minute to realize that I was no longer laying against his shoulder; but upon his chest. Having no idea when I might get another chance like this, I decided to stay against his chest for as long as he would allow me to. I simply nodded my head in reply to his question. He was just so warm, and so very comfortable. _"I really have no motivation to move a single muscle right now." _

"Well if you're feeling better, why are you still laying all of your weight against me?" He didn't sound like he was mocking me, or even like he was angry with me; he was simply concerned for me.

I groaned softly and let out another yawn. "Too comfortable and too warm to move..."

Orochimaru chuckled after hearing my reply. "Well I did tell you earlier that I wanted you to be comfortable, didn't I?" He resumed running his fingers through my hair as he spoke. "The festival should be starting soon, do you want to head back to the village now?"

I sighed and reluctantly detached myself from Orochimaru's form. I cracked my neck and back in a few different places as I stretched. "I guess we might as well, after all; we have been waiting the entire day."

Orochimaru stood up from our place at the tree and stretched his hand out towards mine just as he had done earlier in the day. "Come now child, and do try to stay on your feet this time." He had a brow raised in amusement and his tone was playful.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed onto his hand firmly and stood up. However, between the speed at which I stood up, and the force I used while holding his hand, we both fell towards the tree. My back collided with it, so luckily I had still been on my feet. I had, however; pulled Orochimaru with me and he was now towering over me.

His face was mere inches away from mine, and I froze. He raised a brow in amusement again. "I thought I just told you to be careful?" Orochimaru didn't appear to notice the state I was in, for if he had; he might have actually moved away from me.

I couldn't move, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I kept my eyes locked with his and remained silent. _"This shouldn't be any different than when he towers over me during training...so why do I feel that it is?" _

Orochimaru must have finally realized that something was wrong with me, for he took a step back after a moment. "Sasuke?" He placed a hand on my face and frowned. "Your face is bright red and you feel extremely hot, I don't think it's a good idea for you to—"

I couldn't take it anymore; heart pounding in my chest, I finally gave in. I cupped Orochimaru's face and kissed him. I started to move forward and stopped when Orochimaru's back came into contact with a tree. My stomach was in knots and my heart felt like it was ready to burst. It was then that I realized something; he hadn't pushed me away.

I pulled away after a moment and opened my eyes to look at him. He didn't look angry or disgusted, in fact; he looked rather flustered.

He stared at me wide-eyed and his face was a light shade of pink. Orochimaru brought two fingers from his left hand up to his lips. "So...I suppose this would explain why you've been acting so strange around me lately?" He lowered his hand a little and looked at me with concern. "It's obvious that keeping your feelings locked away has caused you a lot of stress and anxiety; why didn't you tell me sooner?"

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding before staring at him hopelessly. "I didn't want you to call me weak."

Orochimaru suddenly smiled at me. "Now child, why would I call you weak for feeling the exact same thing that I do?"

Upon hearing those unbelievable words, I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. All of my anxiety vanished in an instant and I did the first thing that came to mind; I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head upon his chest. I pressed my face into him and sighed. "You really need to get better at reading hints; do you have any idea how much I've been struggling with this?"

Orochimaru gently wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to my head. "Forgive me child," he laughed softly into my hair. "perhaps if you were better at dropping hints, we might have confessed our feelings at a much earlier time."

I pulled away and glared at him half-heartedly. "Orochimaru, that's not even funny." I frowned when I saw the mischievous look in his eyes. "Is all of this just a big joke to—" My words were suddenly cut off when two warm lips pressed against mine. "Hn..." I closed my eyes and allowed myself to be lowered to the ground.

Orochimaru had his hands on either side of my face as he hovered over me. He smiled down at me and gently kissed my forehead, then the tip of my nose, and finally my lips. He pulled away from my face just far enough that we could stare into each others eyes. "Would you still like to attend the festival, or shall we just stay here?"

As I laid there I was still in mild shock of the entire situation. "If anything, I want to go to the festival with you even more than I did before." I looked up at him with the most innocent and hopeful look I could muster.

He chuckled softly and placed another kiss on my forehead. "Very well child." He gently took a hold of both my hands and helped me up on my feet. "Perhaps it's a good thing you're so clumsy; otherwise we wouldn't be having this nice moment together." He smiled at me warmly.

I could feel my face flush at his words and all I could do was hug him again. "Thank you, Orochimaru."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled away just enough so that he could see my face. "What are you thanking me for now, Sasuke?" He tilted his head to the side as he spoke.

I stared at him intently. "For accepting me." I could feel my heart beating frantically, but I knew that he deserved a full explanation. "For not pushing me away, for worrying about me the way you have been all day." I paused for a moment. "And for taking me in and training me these past two and a half years."

Orochimaru stared at me in disbelief. "What's this child? Thanking me for all of that with such an innocent expression on your face... If you continue to say things like that you might just melt this cold heart of mine." He smiled at me suddenly and placed another kiss on the top of my head. "It should be _me_ thanking _you_, not the other way around."

I felt so relieved and so very happy. Orochimaru had not only accepted my feelings, but he had returned them as well. I felt extremely overwhelmed by my emotions and I buried my face in his chest. I tightened my grip on his body and took in a deep breath.

Orochimaru gently ran his fingers through my hair and placed more kisses on the top of my head. He tried to walk towards the village, but realized I had no intention of moving. "Hey, what's wrong? I thought you wanted to go to the festival?"

I stayed completely still, I couldn't bring myself to move away from him, or even let him go. "I'm afraid if I let you go, you'll disappear too." My voice was muffled due to the fact that I had my face pressed tightly into his chest.

"Sasuke, I thought I told you not to say things like that? I can assure you that I am very real; that this moment is real. I'm not going to disappear if you let go of me." He started to pull away from me and smiled at the unconvinced look on my face. "If you're still not convinced that I won't disappear when you let go of me, just hold onto my hand."

I felt something in that moment that I couldn't describe; he was just so unbelievably considerate of me. I nodded to let him know that we could start walking towards the village.

* * *

><p>We had a nice quiet walk back to the village as Orochimaru continued to hold my hand. I was feeling happier than I had in a long time, and I wanted him to know just how much I appreciated him. "Thank you, Orochimaru."<p>

He chuckled softly and squeezed my hand gently. "What shall we do first? Eat, play the koi fish catching game, buy something we probably won't ever use, or have our picture taken?" He smiled at me and patiently awaited my answer.

I tilted my head a little and then looked out unto the busy streets as I thought of an answer. "I would like to buy some kimonos for us to wear tonight; and_ then _get our picture taken." I looked up at him hopefully.

Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "Very well child, let's go find a vendor who can help us." He lead the way down the busy streets of the village and found a small shop that was selling festival-appropriate kimonos. "You pick them out Sasuke."

I took a few minutes to browse through the various kimonos before finding the perfect ones for Orochimaru and I. There was a very nice lavender colored one with black designs on it, and the same exact one with the colors inverted. "I'll take these two." I showed the vendor which two kimonos I wanted, and he grabbed them for me.

I paid for the kimonos and thanked the vendor before handing Orochimaru the lavender colored one. "Can we go change?"

He nodded and took a hold of my hand. "I suppose they should have rooms available for just the night. Perhaps we should get one?" He looked over to me and I nodded in reply.

I lead the way to a small Inn where we were lucky enough to get the last available room. It was of decent size; it contained a double bed, a master bathroom, small wooden tables on either side of the bed, and a small cushioned bench that sat beside large windows.

I carefully placed my kimono on the bed and looked over at Orochimaru. "You can change in the bathroom, I'll change in here."

Orochimaru raised a brow at me, but walked into the bathroom wordlessly.

I stripped down to my boxers and folded all of my clothes into a neat pile on the bed. I grabbed the black and lavender kimono I chose for myself and began to put it on. I made sure that the kimono was smooth and wrinkle free; I wanted it to look perfect. Once I was satisfied with my appearance; I began placing my other clothes on one of the bed side tables.

I heard the bathroom door open and I immediately turned my attention to it. Orochimaru looked absolutely stunning in that lavender kimono. My eyes went wide with hunger as I looked Orochimaru's body up and down. Oh yes, absolutely _stunning._ The lavender kimono complimented his eyes perfectly, and the black designs contrasted beautifully with his porcelain skin. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, and now I didn't feel so guilty for staring at him.

Orochimaru stopped in his tracks the moment he saw the hungry look in my eyes. He slowly opened his mouth to speak. "Hmm, and just when I thought your personality had done a 180, you start looking at me like a predator looks at its prey." He smirked as he walked closer towards me and gently brushed his fingers through my hair.

Something in me snapped when he said that, causing me to quickly grab him and throw him onto the bed. I climbed on top of him and kissed him fiercely; cupping his face as I did so. _"To hell with making sure my kimono looks perfect."_


	10. Acceptance

Orochimaru groaned in response to the rough treatment he was receiving. He grabbed onto my waist and pulled me down so that our bodies were flush with one another. After our need for oxygen had become too great, we pulled away from each other. Orochimaru looked up at me and smirked, although; he did look quite breathless, and a little flustered. "I must say, the aggressive Sasuke is _so_ much better than the shy and flustered Sasuke."

"Heh." I returned his smirk and leaned down to peck his lips softly. I placed my hands on his chest and locked my eyes with his. "Well, my confused emotional state has passed now that I know you've accepted me." I laid my head down on his chest and closed my eyes. "Can we go to the photographer's stand now?"

Orochimaru ran his hands up and down my back a few times before resting them on my head. He started to massage my scalp like he had earlier in the day, and kissed the top of my head. "If you really want to, but you should know that I'm quite comfortable here."

I sat up and frowned at him. "I want photographic evidence of this night in case you decide to break my heart later on." I fixed my face into a stern expression. "I have been waiting all day to enjoy this festival with you; we have every other day to lay around like this..." I looked at him pleadingly. "...So please, just come with me..."

His expression hardened at my words and he sat up with me still on his lap. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed our foreheads together. "Now I know for a fact that I can be a cruel man Sasuke, but I would never break your heart. At least not intentionally; do you understand me?"

I felt my face heat up and I bit my bottom lip as I stared at him. He looked so serious in that moment and I wasn't quite sure how to react. It dawned on me a few minutes later that he was probably waiting for an answer to his question, so I slowly nodded my head once. "Okay."

Orochimaru chuckled softly at my simple answer and kissed the tip of my nose. "Alright, let me up so I can seal our clothes away with the rest of our things." He carefully lifted me up off of his lap and set me back down on the bed. He scooped up our other clothes and sealed them away in a scroll. "Alright, are you ready to get back to the festival?"

I got off of the bed and walked over to Orochimaru's side. "Yes, Orochimaru." I smiled slightly when I felt his hand grasp mine. I allowed myself to be lead out of the Inn and back to the busy streets of the village. It didn't take long for us to find the photographer's stand, and we were fortunate enough that there wasn't a wait.

* * *

><p>After we received our photographs, Orochimaru had sealed them away in the scroll along with our other items. We had been walking through the streets hand-in-hand, however; something caught Orochimaru's attention and he ventured off to one of the stands.<p>

"Hey, Orochimaru." I frowned at the loss of contact between us. "Where are you going?" I quickly followed him and wrapped both of my arms around one of his. I tilted my head when I saw which stand he had approached. "The...koi fishing game?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly at the unamused expression on my face. "I haven't played this game since I was younger than you are now." He pressed our foreheads together again. "You've gotten everything you asked for tonight, so just let me have this one thing."

I sighed and let go of his arm. "Fine, play the game, I'll just stay here and watch."

* * *

><p>Orochimaru had won the first round he played – and the second round, and the third, and the fourth one... He must have played the game a dozen times before he finally told the vendor that he was finished. He turned around with a small smile of amusement on his face, which immediately vanished when he looked at me. He titled his head in question. "What?"<p>

I sighed and shook my head. "Of all the things to get excited about, you pick the koi fishing game?"

He tried his best to glare at me, but that just made the embarrassed expression on his face all the more evident.

I smirked triumphantly and crossed my arms over my chest. "You know, the shy and flustered Orochimaru is much more interesting than the aggressive Orochimaru."

He frowned when he realized I had twisted his earlier words around, and his face turned a deeper shade of red. "I take back what I said earlier, you're no fun when you're aggressive..." He sulked his way down the street we were on and headed towards the park.

My smirk turned into a smile as I hurried after him. I easily looped my arms around his even though they were crossed over his chest. I leaned my head on his shoulder and nuzzled into him.

Orochimaru growled at me, but didn't push me away. "...I think you may be the only person in existence to have embarrassed me..." His face was still a little red and he looked pissed off.

I pressed my face further into his arm to hide the smile on my lips as we continued through the park. "Am I supposed to feel honored by that?" I yelped in surprise when I was suddenly spun around and pushed up against a tree.

Orochimaru was towering over me again and his face was mere inches from mine. He was staring at me with an intense expression, and his eyes showed no sign of amusement. "You say I have no idea what you've been through recently, yes?"

I stared at him wide eyed and it took me a moment to form words. "Y-Yes."

He continued to stare into my eyes with a stern expression, but then he frowned suddenly and the light returned to his eyes. "Do you have any idea what _you_ have put _me_ through?" He pressed his forehead to mine and cupped my face. "Your mood swings, your self-confidence, your physique; everything about you sets a part of me on fire. Your arrogance sets me off more than anything; and now that I know you share my feelings I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself." He closed his eyes and sighed before leaning down to rest his head upon my shoulder. "So please, do me a favor and be careful of what you say around me."

I was taken off guard by his words. _"I had no idea he felt that way..." _I wrapped my arms around Orochimaru tightly and pressed my face into his hair. "Sorry..." I smiled lightly. "I like pushing buttons and seeing how far I can go before a person snaps at me. I think it's a trait I inherited from my clan..."

Orochimaru nuzzled his face against my neck and pecked my skin lightly. He continued to affectionately nuzzle his nose against my neck. He placed a few kisses every so often, and I could feel him smile against my skin. "Hmm." He hummed softly against my neck and brought his hand up to the collar of my kimono. Orochimaru's hand pushed the left side of my kimono off of my shoulder and moved his face towards the back of my neck.

He did something in the next moment I had not been expecting; he sunk his teeth into the skin on my neck where the curse mark was located.

I inhaled sharply and laid my head back against the tree; closing my eyes in the process. The curse mark pulsated in response to Orochimaru's teeth. "O-Orochimaru..." I slowly brought my arms up and placed them upon his back, using my hands to gently cup his head.

He pulled his teeth out after a moment and slowly lapped up my blood. He brought his head back up and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Do forgive me; I can be a bit possessive."

I slowly blinked my eyes open and looked up at him. "I don't mind." I threaded my fingers through his hair and locked eyes with him. "I'm yours, Orochimaru." I gently tightened my grip on his hair and pulled his head towards mine, causing our foreheads to collide. "However, this is a two way street...", I softly murmured my words against his lips. "...which means that you are also _mine_."

Orochimaru grabbed my waist and closed the distance between us; gently kissing my lips once. "Didn't I just tell you to be careful about what you say to me?" His lips moved against mine as he spoke, and his voice sounded so quiet; so desperate. He claimed my lips once more in a heated kiss as he pushed me into the tree. He was no doubt causing the bark to dig into my back, but I didn't mind; he was kissing me.

I groaned softly and allowed myself to be dominated by him. _"Orochimaru is kissing me so intensely, and touching me...and—!" _I broke the kiss as I jumped in surprise. _"...Fireworks..."_

Orochimaru was looking down at me with a raised brow and a smirk; a sure sign that he was amused. "Jumpy tonight, are we?"

I felt my face heat up and I tried to glare at him. "Shut up..." I looked away in embarrassment and brought my hands down to rest on his chest.

Orochimaru chuckled softly and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. He inhaled deeply and smiled against my skin. "Oh Sasuke, revenge _is_ sweet." He easily stopped my efforts to push him away as he turned me around and cradled me against his chest. His arms were wrapped gently around my waist and he littered the side of my face with kisses.

"H-Hey! Orochimaru stop..." My face was becoming hotter and hotter by the second and I squirmed in his arms.

He chuckled again and tightened his grip on my waist. "No, I don't think so, you're not going anywhere." He resumed placing gentle kisses on my face, neck, and shoulders as I continued to squirm.

All of my efforts to get away were in vain, and I finally gave in. I stopped squirming and let out the laughter that I had been desperately trying to hold in. "Orochimaru! Please st-stop." I was still fighting against my laughter and started to squirm again. All of my squirming caused us to lose our balance and we both went tumbling down towards the ground.

I landed right on top of Orochimaru and my eyes widened. I stared at him in total shock; my face was beet red and my heart stopped for a moment.

Orochimaru locked his eyes with mine and just stared at me for several minutes. The two of us laid there lost in each others eyes as the fireworks went off in the background. And after a few more minutes, Orochimaru carefully sat up and spun me around to sit in his lap with my back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and tightened his grip so that my body was flush with his. Orochimaru gently placed his chin on my shoulder and sighed contently.

I leaned my head back against his and smiled. I brought my arms up to rest them upon Orochimaru's and let out my own sigh of contentment. As we watched the fireworks together, I noticed my eyes becoming heavier and heavier. I could feel my head start to nod and it wasn't long before I had to close my eyes entirely. I shifted in his lap and made myself more comfortable. I yawned softly and nuzzled my face against his chest. "Hngh..." I was quite content in his gentle embrace, and it only took a few minutes for me to drift off to sleep. _"He's so warm..."_

That was the last thing I remembered before entering a peaceful slumber.

* * *

><p>I slowly started to become conscious again. My eyes started to blink open and I was vaguely aware of the fact that I was being carried on somebody's back. Once my eyes focused on my surroundings, I noticed that my arms were wrapped around someone's neck. They had long black hair. My exhausted state caused me to think unclearly, and for a moment I was panicked; it looked like I was being carried by Itachi Uchiha. <em>"Why is <em>_**he**__ carrying me?!" _

My whole body tensed as I tried to remove myself from this man's back. It wasn't until he stopped walking and spoke my name, that I realized whose back I was on; it was Orochimaru's.

"Sasuke, calm down it's just me." He looked back over his shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. "The lair is still a good hour's walk from here, go back to sleep."

I yawned softly and immediately relaxed as I laid my head across his neck and shoulders. "Hnn..." I closed my eyes and let out another yawn. I nuzzled my face against him once before drifting off into a state of half-consciousness. I could feel his body move against mine as he breathed. I could hear the soft sounds his feet made as he walked across the dirt paths.

I wasn't very aware of how much time had gone by, but it had to have been at least an hour. I opened my eyes half way and noticed we were back in the lair. "Hngh... Orochimaru?"

He stopped walking and looked back at me. "Hmm?"

I blinked at him sleepily and willed myself to speak. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" I was fighting so very hard to stay awake, and my eyes felt extremely heavy again. My speech had come out a little slurred, but I knew he had understood me.

Orochimaru chuckled softly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He turned his attention back to the halls and began walking towards his bedroom. "You're never allowed to sleep alone again." I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling. He opened the door to his bedroom a few minutes later, and pulled back the blankets that were on his bed. He carefully laid me down on the bed and smiled. He crawled in next to me cradled me against his chest.

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled into him. "Orochimaru, I'm cold."

Orochimaru chuckled softly and pulled the blanket over our bodies. "So demanding." He wrapped his arms around me again and began to litter my face with gentle kisses. "You're all mine Sasuke, all mine." He continued to kiss me and speak to me in between my fits of laughter. "From now on, it's mandatory for you to sleep with me." He closed the distance between us and kissed me passionately.

After I could no longer breathe, I pulled away from him just enough so that I could gaze into his eyes. The same irresistibly golden eyes that used to send chills down my spine, the eyes that belong to a cold-blooded killer, a liar, and a thief...but even so, I felt a smile form upon my lips; for they also belong to the man that I love...

—_The End._


End file.
